A number of teams have their eye on Warriors assistant Luke Walton for their coaching vacancies.
Before the Suns made Earl Watson their full-time head coach, Walton's name was mentioned there. He's also been connected to Phil Jackson and the Knicks on a number of occasions, although it doesn't appear that's happening, at least for the time being.
Now, the team just down the road appears to be calling his name.
According to Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee, the Sacramento Kings and their general manager Vlade Divac are expected to meet with Walton when the “time is right,” potentially after the Warriors-Rockets series if there's a clean sweep and he has some more free time.
Of course, Divac wouldn't be doing his job if he didn't reach out to a variety of candidates. He's also reportedly set/setting meetings with coaches like Kevin McHale, Jeff Van Gundy, David Blatt, Jeff Hornacek, Sam Mitchell, Tom Thibodeau, Scott Brooks, and Spurs assistant Ettore Messina.
However, Walton is at the top of his list, and guys like Thibodeau, Van Gundy, and Brooks appear to have jobs lined up elsewhere.
RELATED: Phil Jackson denies meeting with Luke Walton about Knicks’ coaching vacancy
Just yesterday, Walton said that he's “not going to rush off” from his job with the 73-9 record setting Warriors, but he did admit he wants to be a head coach some day.
After leading Golden State to a 39-4 record before head coach Steve Kerr returned from back surgery, Walton's name has quickly become one of the more popular ones on the NBA coaching market.
As a result, Walton has the luxury of not rushing into a complicated situation, knowing full-well that he can continue to learn and win with the Warriors until the right job comes along.
Will that be in Sacramento? The Kings haven't made the playoffs in over a decade, but they do have some incredible talents in DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo. If they can bring Rondo back, a coach like Walton might be able to establish chemistry between such big personalities, and put this franchise back in the postseason.
Still, it's hard to say it's an ideal situation. For now, Walton is focused on the playoffs. Once the offseason sets in, it's anybody's guess what will happen.
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